Surrender
by zimmykins13
Summary: Dib returns to his life and discovers the darkness of the world.
1. Chapter 1

Homesick

The teenager stood against the stop sign with his thin, pale hands in his pockets. He was starting to become worried about the extraterrestrial, the one who ruined his life, the one who had been shut inside his base for weeks. _What was he up to? _He began taking small steps towards the awkward looking house as he eyed the neighborhood. Empty, as usual. Faster than he had hoped, his boot reached the first step of the home, and he paused, looking down in remorse at the cracked concrete. _What if he's gone?_

The boy had been gone himself for some time, being thrown into an asylum, and finally being able to come home after nearly a year. He eventually succumbed to reality and only pretended to be normal. He hated not being able to act like himself…his normal crazy self. Every day in the asylum, he would wake up and tell himself, '_I am Dib...' _He never had to say anything else to remind him of who he really was. However, despite the terrible things he'd seen, he returned to school immediately after being released, and he waited for the aliens return. Had the alien wondered about his existence? This would be the first time they'd seen each other face to face in a year.

It was almost impossible to shake the nerve away as he raised his hand to knock on the door. _I'm going to knock? What is wrong with me?_ Still, he knocked. After a long moment passed he turned to walk away. In doing so, a familiar voice called from behind the door, his eyes red.

"Gir!" Dib sounded almost excited to see the robot who glared at him with evil eyes. "Gir?" He seemed to be, for once, in duty mode for longer than a few seconds. This worried him.

Reluctantly, the robot's eyes shifted into their normal shade as he squealed. "YOU'VE GOTTEN TALL!"

"Er, yes, I have." The awkward silence grew between them. "Hey, where is Zim?" Quickly, the robot dropped his expression and grabbed onto the boys hand.

"Master is making himself all better." _All better? _Gir led him into the house and stopped in the middle of the room. Then he sat. Dib knelt beside him, letting his jacket touch the floor.

"Can you get him, Gir?" Gir grabbed onto Dib's sleeve and looked at him in sadness.

"Master told me not to go down there." Dib could tell the robot hadn't seen him either in quite a while.

"How long has he been down there? When was the last time you heard from him?" _Why should I be concerned with this?_

"He been goooone. Gone. Gone. Gone." Gir chimed in a sad tone. "He left me up here and told me not to come down no matter what I heard. So I been sitting here." He played with the cloth on Dib's sleeve.

"What have you heard?" _This doesn't sound like anything that could possibly turn out good._

Gir seemed to have ignored Dib's question.

"Could I go down there, Gir?" The robot glitched for a moment when he answered.

"Noooo." _Is he scared?_

"Come on, Gir. I bet he's testing you. He wants to see how you'll handle something like this. If you take me down there, I can let him know how well you've guarded the base."

"Really?"_ So simple minded. _He smiled.

"Yeah."


	2. Chapter 2

Breathing

The base was cold, unnaturally cold. Gir took him deeper inside of the lab and with every step, it became darker, colder, and even more creepier. Dib always thought that being allowed inside of Zim's lab would be a moment of victory. But this, this was just eerie and horrifying.

"Do you know where he would be?" Dib was starting to feel uneasy. He heard nothing. No response and when he looked behind him, he saw no pale blue light to assure him that Gir was still with him. _Where had he gone? _"Gir?"

Dib searched for anything to use as a light source. His eyes became fixed on a green glow that sat in a container on a shelf. He immediately stumbled to it and examined it. _Well it seems toxic, but it will have to do._ He carried it in one of his hands, eyes widening at the sight of a liquid on the floor. _Is this a blood trail?_

His footsteps came to a halt when he heard Gir's voice, along with a loud crash. Dib felt himself become nauseated when he heard a familiar hissing in his ears. He backed away still leery of the thoughts inside of his head. "Gir?" Dib began panicking, running through the lab, trying to locate the sound.

Dib caught a glimpse of the creature as it swiftly moved across him, leaving a gash on his cheek. He felt the blood and almost instantly knew what had cut into him; it had felt so familiar to him. He could feel the sting of the metal leg that so often protruded from Zim's back when he felt he was losing the fight. So many scars he had left on the boy.

He hissed once more in defense. Dib could sense the alien come toward him as he backed against the cold wall. The darkness hindered his view but he felt the sting again, this time, moving from his leg to his tortured face. The blood that oozed was warm against his skin, as was the alien's breath on his neck.

"How dare you come here, Human." _Human? Why wasn't he calling me Dib-filth? Or something like that!? _The alien seemed to have trouble speaking. His metal legs held the humans wrists, piercing them in place. "Zim should kill you quickly…" The cold metal was placed gently on his neck, and it began to press into his skin.

"Z-…Zim! It's me!" _Please don't do this! _

Zim immediately released the human, letting him fall to the ground in pain. For a moment, Zim stood, shocked. He immediately came to his senses, however, grabbing Dib's neck and forcing him into the other's face.

"What are you doing!?"

Dib tried to talk. _I only came here to check on you. _

_ "_Zim has nearly killed you! Filthy Dib!" Dib started becoming aware of how much blood he had actually lost. "Are you listening to Zim!? Where have you been!? Zim demands answers!"

"Sorry, I-I…" _Don't lose consciousness here…please…_

Zim lurked over him, sighing at the paranormal boy and his stupidity. _Humans…_He watched Dib become limp and close his eyes.

_They're too weak…too fragile._


	3. Chapter 3

Under the Knife

Dib woke up feeling uneasy about his location. _Where am I? Why do I feel this cold? _He heard a sigh from across the room along with footsteps. He tried to pull himself up off of the hard table that he had seemed to be placed on. Immediately, Dib's eyes widened when he felt restraints holding down his arms. _Is he experimenting on me!? _He began lashing out, feeling his wounds bleed out.

"Would you hold still!?" Zim yelled at him, grabbing his wrist with great strength. "Surrender to Zim!" He held an injection in the other hand.

"Nu-uh!" Dib tried to overpower him.

"Why did you come here!?" His voice rang in Dib's ears as the boy turned his head to avoid the confrontation. Zim grabbed his throat and forced the human to look at him. "Give Zim answers…and your giant head will not be Girs new play thing."

Dib tried talking in gasps through Zim's tight grip on his neck. _I can't unless you stop!_

He managed to let out two words.

"I…will…"

Zim let his grip loosen as Dib waited for the alien to make demands. "The Dib human will speak to Zim now!" He threw his fist onto the table close to Dib's face.

"Alright! I-I just came here because…well, you haven't been at school and-" _Why did I come here?_

"Neither has the Dib-filth!" _Why is he so angry!?_

"I was forced to leave! Why are you mad about that!?"

"Zim is mad about YOU breaking into my labs!" The alien angrily stabbed the needle into Dib's arm, letting it's liquid flow through his veins. "Keep talking. Where did you go!?"

Dib didn't like to admit where he was forced to stay for the past year. _Zim wouldn't judge me for it, I suppose. "_I was forced into an asylum…for crazy people. They tried to fix me."

"Fix the Dib? Stupid human scum…the Dib is not broken!" Zim looked at the boys wounds. "Er, was not broken until now. Zim has inflicted these damages on the Dib."

"I don't mean-" This was all to awkward talking to Zim about this, especially when Zim cocked his head and let one antenna raise, he was curious. "I don't mean fix me, as in wounds…I mean fix me, as in…" What could he say? "…as in the craziness." _The social awkwardness. The depression. The pain. The demons. The terrors. _Dib could continue the list for hours.

"Of course the humans would try to repair the Dib when the Dib has nothing wrong with him." _He still didn't understand, but it didn't matter. _

"Are…are you experimenting on me?"

The alien sighed. "No." _Relief. _"And yes…" _Panic!_

"What!?" Dib began screaming and thrashing about once again.

"Shut your filthy mouth!" The sharpness in his voice made Dib obey. "Zim is repairing the damage on the Dib. Zim is being GENEROUS…so take it or leave it."

_I do feel less pain._

"Well…thanks I guess." Zim began patching up the gashes along the boy.

"Yes…be grateful that Zim didn't kill you." He was mocking him.

"Why didn't you?" He looked curiously at the human.

"Does Zim need a reason for sparing your pathetic life?" He became agitated.

"Well...sort of?"

"Fine, Zim does not wish to give reasons why he has spared you. Instead, Zim will take you as a slave since questioning my every action seems to satisfy you." _I was only curious! I don't want to be a slave!_

Zim finished working the bandages on Dib's wounds and managed to stop the bleeding. "When you are repaired…you will be Zim's slave, my disgusting underling. You won't be able to leave the base either as part of your punishment for breaking into Zim's labs. "

"But, what if I don't want to be your slave?" _This is crazy._

"ZIM didn't want you in my BASE…but did he get what he wanted?" Zim pondered for a moment before leaving. "Besides…Dib will be better off here than at SKOOL or with his horrible family who doomed him for oh so long."

"Wait! Zim!? You can't just leave me down here! Where am I anyways!?"


	4. Chapter 4

Raised By Wolves

_Where was Zim?_ Dib subconsciously noted that he had been lying in his own puddle of blood on the table since then, and that his wounds started to hurt terribly once again. He started to wonder if he could grab the alien's attention somehow. _Knock something over? No…I can't do anything strapped to this table._ Then he remembered something about the base that he had initially forgotten…the computer.

"Uhm…Computer?" He heard a response that seemed to be a human clearing its throat. "Er…could you call for Zim?"

"Voice command not recognized."

"Call for Zim?" Dib tried once more in a more childlike tone.

"Ugh…you can't just use me whenever you want." _Seriously!? _

"What do you need stupid human?" Zim's voice immediately gave Dib a headache as he entered the room.

He almost seemed embarrassed to ask the alien for any help at all. "It hurts…a lot." Zim walked over to him, taking a few injections in hand. Dib remembered how he was given the shots before in the asylum, he winced at the thought of the pain.

"Zim hasn't stabbed you yet. Why do you fear the injection?" Dib was taken aback by Zim's question, along with his body language. _Why did he seem curious?_

"Would the Dib like to be taken somewhere else?" _Kindness?_ Dib didn't answer. He only thought that it would be amazing to be taken somewhere else, somewhere less lonely and quiet. It reminded him too much of the isolation rooms and the straightjackets. He didn't want to remember any of that.

Zim sighed, acknowledging that the boy had spaced out as he unchained him. Dib could feel himself easily being lifted off of the table. _Zim can't be this strong… _

_ "_Hey!"

"What!?"

Dib became shy being thrown onto the alien's back. "I can walk…"

"The Dib human will not walk until he has stopped bleeding…so work on it and stop staining my floors!" Dib lowered his head to find that he was leaving a trail of his own rich liquid. _Had the attack been this bad?_

_ "_Oh…sorry about that I guess." Dib had felt bad for being so weak compared to the strong Irken.

Zim walked them into the elevator where he let the human stand on his own. Dib became easily nauseated from the pain and the motion under him as he dropped to his knees, the Irken dropped as well.

Zim took out the large needled injection and gave it to him. "Take this."

"I-I can't give myself this…" It was out of the question.

"Pathetic…" Zim snatched the needle and grabbed the boys pale face to reveal his neck, forcefully sticking him in the most painful of spots. Dib cried out as Zim held own his hand over his bleeding neck.

"Why there!?"

"It's much faster…in Irkens at least. Did this hurt the Dib?" Antennae cocked once more.

"Of course." Dib was quick in answering this question.

The alien moved to pick up the human again, Dib could feel his face accidently brush up against his antenna as they continued. "Well Zim is sorry…but you should have done it yourself."

The injection made his veins cold and his head tired as he laid his head on Zim's PAK for the rest of the way. He could hear a low humming inside of the metal that urged him to fall asleep. Zim became worried about the heavy breathing coming from the boy.

"Are you alive?" Dib could hear his voice but not his words. It didn't matter what Zim had said. They only thing that slipped out of Dib's mouth in reply was the only thing he was concerned about.

"Please don't hurt me again."


	5. Chapter 5

It hadn't taken Dib long at all to notice the robot sitting on his chest staring at the television that sat in Zim's base. Gir hadn't realized that the boy was awake until a small grunt came from his mouth.

"You was on the screen!" Gir looked at him.

"Wh-…what?" _Wake up…I feel like I've been sleeping for days._

"Piggys are looking for you!"

"Looking for me?" Dib began questioning everything all at one. "Gir how long has it been since I showed up here?"

"One, two, three four…" Gir paused, swaying side to side. "Five! Five Earth days! Five, five, five."

"Five days!?"

"You been sleepin' and master been workin'." Gir lowered his tone. "Master has also been collecting the juiciies."

A sick feeling overcame Dib when he heard the word. _What sick, twisted things has he been doing to me!?_

"What…what do you mean by that?" He managed to ask without becoming sick.

"The red stuffs inside you that spill out where master has been repairing you."

_My blood!?What does Zim want with my blood!?_

Dib began thrashing underneath the robot, forcing him off of his chest. He grabbed the wound on his neck where the alien had been sticking the injection and began hitting the walls of the base.

"Gir let me get into the labs!"

The robot only stared at him, confused.

"Gir!" Just as Dib began yelling at the childlike robot, his own face appeared on the giant screen.

"The piggys." Gir whispered to himself as Dib watched his sister stand in front of the media, threatening viewers to return her brother. The police were conducting searches and his father apparently informed the media that he was insane and should be considered dangerous to himself and others.

"Gaz?" Where was his father pleading the return of his son? Why Gaz? "She looks sad…"

Gir immediately shut off the screen. "Gir you have to get Zim…"

"Okieee." As Gir exited the room, Dib sat, feeling pain once again as tried to recall what his father would do to him when he returned.

"What is it? Zim is busy." Dib stood, hearing his voice.

"I need to see my sister Zim, you have to let me leave."

"Never!" Zim became offended. "Why would you wish to see your horrible bloodline?"

"Zim they're looking for me! I saw Gaz, she was looking for me! Do you really expect me to stay here!?" Dib had started panicking.

"Like Zim has told you time and time again…you are my slave now. You do as Zim wishes. Right now, Zim wishes for you to forget the stupid humans."

"These 'humans' are coming to find me, Zim…you can't hide me here forever."

"Do you think Zim is not intelligent and aware of human search and rescue? Do you believe that Zim would easily have the Dib without suspicion and question from these mindless humans? Zim does have plans Dib human…" _Have me? Why did he say it that way?_

Dib crouched his head between his knees to keep his breathing normal. _This is fucked up…_

Zim immediately became concerned. "Is there pain in the Dib again?"

He made no effort to move from his position, he only shook his head very fast. Sometimes he wished that this was all in his head. He wished that the asylum forced it away. _Why can't I just be crazy? Why does this have to be real? _

"When they find me they will throw me back into the asylum…won't be easy to explain that I was kidnapped by an alien…"

"No one will find you. This is why ZIm is keeping you here."

"Can I at least see Gaz?" Dib pleaded as Zim sighed."

"If you obey…perhaps Gir could kidnap her as well."

"Kidnap!?"

"Er-…talk the Gaz into visiting…"

Hope.

There was hope for Dib if he could just suffer a little bit longer.


End file.
